Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36516968›Full record

ArticleDie Rehabilitation2023

[Psychometric Evaluation of the 'German Neurological Fatigue Index for Multiple Sclerosis (NFI-MS-G)' in a Sample of Rehabilitation Patients with Multiple Sclerosis].

Barbara Seebacher, Mike C Horton, Markus Reindl, Christian Brenneis, Rainer Ehling, Florian Deisenhammer, Roger J Mills

Open access · hybridAbstract readEnglish Abstract
In one paragraph

Article in Die Rehabilitation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 42% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Barbara SeebacherUniversitätsklinik für Neurologie, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Österreich.
Mike C HortonPsychometric Laboratory for Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, UK.
Markus ReindlUniversitätsklinik für Neurologie, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Österreich.
Christian BrenneisKarl Landsteiner Institut für Interdisziplinäre Rehabilitationsforschung, Reha Zentrum Münster, Österreich.
Rainer EhlingKarl Landsteiner Institut für Interdisziplinäre Rehabilitationsforschung, Reha Zentrum Münster, Österreich.
Florian DeisenhammerUniversitätsklinik für Neurologie, Medizinische Universität Innsbruck, Österreich.
Roger J MillsDepartment of Neurology, Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Karl Landsteiner Society · ATMedical University of Vienna · ATInnsbruck Medical University · ATUniversity of Leeds · GBWalton Centre · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe purpose of this study was to provide a patient-reported outcome measure for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) comprehensively reflecting the construct of fatigue and developed upon the assumptions of the Rasch model. The Neurological Fatigue Index - Multiple Sclerosis (NFI-MS) is based on both a medical and patient-described symptom framework of fatigue and has been validated. Therefore, in this study the German version of the NFI-MS (NFI-MS-G) consisting of a physical and cognitive subscale and a summary scale was validated.

methodIn this bi-centre-study, 309 people with MS undergoing outpatient rehabilitation or being≥2 months before or after their inpatient rehabilitation completed the German NFI-MS-G twice within 14-21 days together with other questionnaires. Correlation with established questionnaires and Rasch analysis were used for its validation. Additionally, psychometric properties of known-groups validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, measurement precision and readability were tested. Finally, the English NFI-MS and German NFI-MS-G were compared with each other to equate the language versions.

resultsThe NFI-MS-G showed good internal construct validity, convergent and known-groups validity and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.84-0.93). The physical subscale showed minor local dependencies between items 1 and 7, 2 and 3 and 4 to 6, that could be treated by combining the respective items to testlets. Unidimensionality was found for the physical and cognitive subscales but not for the summary scale. Replacing the summary scale, a 2-domains subtest measuring the higher-order construct of fatigue was created. Good test-retest reliability (Lin's concordance correlation coefficient of 0.86-0.90) and low floor and ceiling effects were demonstrated. The NFI-MS-G was found easily readable and invariant across groups of gender, age, disease duration, timepoint and centre.

conclusionThe German version of the NFI-MS comprehensively represents the construct of fatigue and has adequate psychometric properties. The German version differs from the English original version with respect to a lack of unidimensionality of the summary scale and minor local dependencies of the physical subscale that could be canceled out using a testlet analysis.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisFatigueGermanyHumansLanguagePsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID36516968
PMCPMC9925291
OpenAlexW4311455840

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.